Co-Founder and Joint Managing Director of Women on Wings
Ellen Tacoma co-founded Women on Wings in 2007 with Maria van der Heijden. In April 2016, Ellen and Maria handed over management responsibilities to Ronald van het Hof and Shilpa Mittal Singh, and became non-executive members of the Women on Wings board.
Over the next seven years, Ellen fulfilled various director positions in international organizations: COO and Director of the Accelerator at HiiL, working on user-friendly justice with social entrepreneurs across Africa and Ukraine. Also, she was International CEO of the Social Enterprise Academy in Scotland, delivering leadership programs for social enterprises across the world.
In September 2023, Ellen became a Women on Wings Joint Managing Director with Shilpa Mittal Singh.
“I get inspired again and again by the strength and energy of Indian women. Women on Wings is originated from the thought of using economic empowerment for women resulting in more self-confidence. It is with respect for cultural difference and based on equality that we offer our knowledge, which enable social entrepreneurs and state government institutions in India to grow faster and create more jobs. Women on Wings fulfils a temporary role as inspirator, advisor, companion or sounding board, depending on what is required by these partners.”